Shug McGaughey

The continuously improving Greatest Honour (Tapit) continued his preparations for the Mar. 27 GI Curlin Florida Derby at Payson Park Saturday, covering a half-mile in :50.20 (3/21). "He worked nice--his typical work," trainerr Shug McGaughey said. "I think he bounced out of the [GII Fasig-Tipton] Fountain of Youth good." Greatest Honour broke his maiden at fourth asking at Gulfstream Dec. 26 and has swept the first two of three GI Kentucky Derby preps held at Gulfstream: the Jan. 30 GIII Holy Bull and the Feb. 27 Fountain of Youth.

7th-Gulfstream, $45,000, Msw, 3-13, 3yo, 7f, 1:22.95, ft, 7 3/4 lengths. BEARS WATCHING (c, 3, Karakontie {Jpn}--Reunited {GSW, $326,771}, by Dixie Union) continued to live up to his moniker, building on a strong debut third--two spots ahead of subsequent 'TDN Rising Star' Collaborate (Into Mischief)--in the local slop Feb. 6 to dismantle an overmatched group of Gulfstream maidens Saturday afternoon. Speedy enough to argue the pace through the early exchanges, the 3-5 pick was eased back out of a potentially tight spot to stalk the pacesetters while racing on his...

7th-GP, $55K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 3:10 p.m. ET BEARS WATCHING (Karakontie {Jpn}), a half-brother to MGISW Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}), looks to earn his diploma at second asking following a very good closing third on debut in the Gulfstream slop Feb. 6. The William S. Farish homebred, trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, finished two spots ahead of subsequent 'TDN Rising Star' Collaborate (Into Mischief) that day, who returned with a daylight maiden victory Feb. 27. The field of 12 also includes $510,000 KEESEP graduate Stainless Steel...

Birthdays with a zero on the end are supposed to be momentous occasions, and 20-year-old Tapit sure knows how to celebrate in style. On Saturday, the Gainesway stallion even supplied the party favors for a double-barreled bash in his honor on the GI Kentucky Derby trail. Exactly two decades after Tapit's Feb. 27, 2001, foaling date, two of his sons delivered sky's-the-limit performances as winning favorites in key 3-year-old prep stakes that firmly established both atop of the current crop of aspirants to wear a blanket of roses on the...

Courtlandt Farm homebred Greatest Honour (Tapit) looked all but hopeless rounding the final bend in Saturday's GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream, but he flew home in the stretch to complete a huge daily double for his sire. The Shug McGaughey trainee's victory came just minutes after returning champion Essential Quality (Tapit) cruised in Oaklawn's GIII Southwest S. Pacesetting Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) held well for second, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, while longshot Papetu (Dialed In), who briefly looked like the winner, checked in third. It was...

Dr. Gary Lavin, one of the Thoroughbred industry's most respected and accomplished veterinarians, passed away Saturday morning at his home in Louisville, Kentucky after a long battle with cancer, according to his family. He was 83 years old. Lavin is a past president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, Steward of The Jockey Club, trustee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and the Breeders' Cup, director at Keeneland, and vice-chairman of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. Lavin was a 1962 graduate of the University...

The highly regarded Performer (Speightstown), a hard-fought neck winner over Eye of a Jedi (Eye of the Leopard) in the GIII Fred W. Hooper S. Jan. 23, will look for his second straight tally over track and trip in Saturday's GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile S. The 2019 GIII Discovery S. winner was a disappointing third as the 4-5 favorite in the slop in the GI Cigar Mile H. two starts back Dec. 5. "He gutted it out pretty good," trainer Shug McGaughey said of Performer's Hooper win. "He was...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency WELL-BRED WAR FRONT DEBUTS IN HALLANDALE 1st-GP, $50K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 12:40 p.m. Shug McGaughey saddles a blue-blooded first timer in Joe Allen homebred TRACY FLICK (War Front). Her GSP dam Stay the Night (Arch) is a daughter of MSW & MGSP Louve Royale (Ire) (Peintre Celebre). This is also the family of European Highweight Loup Sauvage (Riverrman); French Highweight Loup Solitaire (Lear Fan); MGSW Loup Breton (Ire) (Anabaa); and GSW Copper Bullet (More Than Ready). The Flying Pharoah (American Pharoah) debuts in...

We sometimes talk of the moment in a young horse's career when the bulb switches on. When the resulting illumination is as brilliant as was the case with Greatest Honour (Tapit) at Gulfstream last Saturday, however, it feels as though the whole sport can bask in the glow. Those few strides in the GIII Holy Bull S. when he clicked into top gear, before running clear in the stretch, not only announced his own candidature but cast into exciting new perspective the whole road to Churchill on the first Saturday...

Courtlandt Farm homebred Greatest Honour (Tapit) still hasn't quite figured things out completely, but the immaculately bred bay maintained his upward mobility and made the most of his raw ability to post a handy victory in Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream Park, earning 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby in the process. Recent California transfer Tarantino (Pioneerof the Nile) attended the pace and stuck on for second ahead of 'TDN Rising Star' Prime Factor (Quality Road). Greatest Honour made a pair of starts over seven...

'TDN Rising Star' Prime Factor (Quality Road), a blowout maiden winner sprinting on debut at Gulfstream Dec. 12, heads straight to the big leagues in Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S. The WinStar Farm and CHC Inc. colorbearer, a $900,000 Keeneland September yearling, worked a bullet five furlongs in :59 4/5 (1/13) at Todd Pletcher's Palm Beach Downs base Jan. 23 in preparation of his two-turn debut. Prime Factor is out of a half-sister to fellow 'Rising Stars' Speightster (Speightstown) and West Coast Swing (Gone West) as well as SW Paiota...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency WELL-RELATED SPEIGHTSTOWN DEBUTS 7th-GP, $50K, Msw, 3yo, f, 5fT, 3:11 p.m. WinStar Stablemates got off to a great start for their 2021 season with a pair of victories and hope to add another with first time starter FIRST HOUR (Speightstown) at Gulfstream Sunday. Her dam General Jeanne (Honour and Glory) is a half to GSW Chace City (Carson City) and MGSW & GISP Justwhistledixie (Dixie Union), who is the dam of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and sire New Year's Day (Street Cry {Ire}); MGSW...